Ten years after the Indiana General Assembly established Ivy Tech Community College as the state's comprehensive community college system, now is the time to reflect, to acknowledge successes and opportunities for improvement, and to determine the best path forward as Ivy Tech begins its next decade of service to Indiana students, local communities and the state's economy.

Beginning in Fall 2015, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education will lead a statewide effort to encourage Hoosiers with some college but no degree to come back and finish. This document summarizes initial guidance for Indiana colleges.

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education regards the Regional Campuses of Indiana University and Purdue University as valuable contributors to the state’s system of higher education. Recognizing the unique characteristics of each Regional Campus, the principles outlined on the documents which follow are designed as overarching directions that reflect a more efficient and effective role for Regional Campuses in Indiana’s system of higher education.

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education regards the offering of rigorous dual credit courses as means for expanding access to postsecondary opportunities, encouraging students to pursue higher education, and increasing college completion rates. The documents which follow outline the Commission’s dual credit policies.

State Policy on Associate Degree Programs Offered at Public Institutions
The intent of this policy is to clarify statewide usage of degree designations for associates degree, elucidate discussion about associates degree curricular content, communicate effectively to students about associate degree offerings by public institutions, facilitate transfer of associate degree credit so that as many students as possible will have the opportunity to continue their postsecondary education, avoid needless duplication of state resources, and sharpen institutional missions.

Resolution to Update Commission Policy Regarding Associate Degrees
Commission policy has shifted associate degree production to the community colleges, away from the four-year institutions. While the Commission remains committed to this policy, discussions about the Return and Complete project have identified a narrow modification to this policy that would be in the interest of students who completed a substantial amount of credit toward a baccalaureate degree at a four-year institution but now intend to receive an associate degree instead.

DISTANCE EDUCATION

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that distance learners have access to the same quality of instruction available on campus.

Indiana's Performance Funding Formula (PFF) was started in 2003 and has evolved over time to provide incentives to public higher education institutions who improve in specific metrics. For more information, visit our Performance Funding webpage.

DEGREE MAPS

All students at public colleges and universities will be provided with a semester-by-semester list of courses called a degree map that will provide the path to on-time graduation effective Fall 2014. Newly-enacted law requires colleges to offer these maps and to provide guaranteed availability of courses on maps (or offer the course for free in a future semester).